Flavorant for tobacco products



I United States Patent 1111 3,5 5,

[72] Inventors John E. Kennedy, Jr.; {56] References Cited Tlliord F. Riehl, In, Louisville, Kentucky fr STATES PATENTS P 780338 3,082,125 3/1963 Bavley et al. '131/17 [22] Filed Nov. 29, 1968 3,306,303 2/1967 Bavley et a1v 13 1/ 17 [45] Patented Dec. 8, 1970 3,312,226 4/1967 Bavleyetal. 131/17 [73] Ass1gnee Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation Louisville, Kentucky OTHER REFERENCES a corporation of Delaware Beereboom, J. J The Synthesis of Piperitenone via Mesityl Oxide and Methyl Vinyl Ketone. Journal of Organic Chemistry, 31: 2026-7 (1966).

Primary Examiner-Samuel Koren s41 FLAVORANT FOR TOBACCO PRODUCTS -Q Yahwak 4 Claims, No Drawings Att0mey Kane, Da1s1mer, Kane, Su1l1va'n and Smith [52] US. Cl 131/17,

131/9, 131/15, 1311261, 131/ 144 ABSTRACT: An additive for smoking tobacco product which [51] Int. Cl A2411 15/04 enhances and fortifies the natural tobacco flavor of tobacco [50] Field of Search 13 1/ 10, I7, smoke in which the tobacco product has added thereto a small 17(A), 144, 9, 261(A), (Chem Abstract); 99/140 amount of piperitenone.

. 1 FLAVORANT FOR roBAcco rnonuc'rs BACKGROUND or THE INVENTION Improvements to enhance the natural tobacco flavor and aroma of smoking tobacco and smoking tobacco products are generally accomplished by blending various high grades of tobaccos, either domestic or oriental, and adding thereto various flavor producing substances so that a pleasing and acceptable smoke product is obtained. However, in many instances, the various flavor substances impart to the tobacco blend or to various types of smoking tobacco a flavor which is foreign to tobacco and which is perceptible by the smoker when smoking a tobacco product made therefrom. It is an object of the invention to provide an additive for smoking products which when added thereto improves the tobacco smoke quality without any distinctive, perceptible flavor foreign to tobacco and which enhances and fortifies the natural tobacco flavor of a smoking tobacco product, whereby a smoothing-out effect of the tobacco smoke is obtained and the harshness generally associated therewith is reduced.

SUMMARY or THE INVENTION According to the invention, an additive adapted for use with a smoking tobacco product which enhances and fortifies the natural tobacco flavor of tobacco smoke is obtained when the tobacco product has added thereto a small amount of piperitenone. i

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The improved flavor additive,-piperitenone, when added to a smoking tobacco. product enhances the tobacco smoke quality, on subsequent smoking" of the product, by fortifying the natural tobacco flavor without changing its distinctive character. A perceptible smoothing-out effect of the tobacco smoke is obtained and the harshness generally associated therewith is reduced by adding piperitenone. The piperitenone can be added to smoking tobacco or to a smoke filter or filter element associated with the tobacco. The tobacco may consist of domestic tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, oriental tobacco, or blends thereof.

Piperitenone dissolved in a solvent, such as ethyl alcohol or hexane, is easily applied to a tobacco product. The solution is readily sprayed onto shredded tobacco prior to formation into a tobacco product, or may be added to a tobacco smoke filter, or to anyof the blend components, including reconstituted tobacco. It is preferred, however, to add it to the shredded tobacco prior to the manufacture of the tobacco into a desired product. We have found that when a small amount of piperitenone is added to a smoking tobacco product, which is subsequently smoked, the tobacco smoke has imparted thereto an enhanced natural tobacco flavor without any flavor foreign to tobacco. The amount of piperitenone added to a smoking tobacco product may be as little as 0.005 percent by weight of tobacco. The amount added based on the weight of tobacco may be between 0.005 percent and 2.0 percent, preferably between 0.005 percent and 0.5 percent, and more preferably between 0.01 percent and 0.05 percent.

Procedures for the preparation of piperitenone have been published by Bergmann and Bracha in the Journal of Organic Chemistry, Vol. 24, p. 994 1959), and by J. J. Beereboom, Journal of Organic Chemistry, Vol. 31, p. 2026 (1966).

The following examples illustrate the use of piperitenone added to a smoking tobacco product.

EXAMPLE 1 Sufficient quantities of a solution of piperitenone in ethyl alcohol are sprayed on shredded and blended domestic tobacco to produce a 0.005 percent levelby weight on the tobacco. After the ethyl alcohol is evaporated from the treated tobacco, cigarettes are made having a standard cellulose acetate filter.

A second quantity of shredded and blended domestic tobacco is sprayed with the same relative quantity of ethyl alcohol. After the ethyl alcohol is evaporated from the tobacco, cigarettes are made having a standard cellulose acetate filter. These cigarettes are used as the control for testing purposes.

Both the piperitenone treated cigarettes and the control cigarettes were smoked by an expert smoke panel. The results of the smoke panel test demonstrated a preference for the piperitenone treated cigarettes over the control cigarettes.

EXAMPLE 2 Sufficient quantities of a solution of piperitenone in ethyl alcohol are sprayed on cellulose acetate tow to produce a 0.005 percent level per filter unit by weight of the tobacco. After the ethyl alcohol is evaporated from the treated filter material, standard filter cigarettes aremade therefrom.

A second quantity of cellulose acetate tow is sprayed with the same relative quantity of ethyl alcohol. After the ethyl alcohol is evaporated from the filter material, standard filter cigarettes are made therefrom. These cigarettes are used as the control for testing purposes.

Both the piperitenone treated filter cigarettes and the control filter cigarettes of example 2 were smoked by an expert smoke panel. The results of the smoke panel test demonstrated a preference for the cigarettes with the piperitenone treated filter tip over the control filter cigarettes.

Cigarettes were made in accordance with example I in which piperitenone was added to the tobacco at the following levels: 0.01 percent, 0.10 percent, 025 percent and 0.50 percent by weight of tobacco. The results of an expert smoke panel test demonstrated a preference for the treated cigarettes over the control cigarettes. The panel indicated that the cigarettes treated with piperitenone provided an improved smoke quality without any flavor foreign to tobacco, enhanced and fortified the natural tobacco flavor of the cigarette, had a smoothing-out effect on the tobacco smoke and the harshness generally associated with tobacco smoke was substantially reduced.

It should be understood that the term tobacco products as used herein are products made from tobacco, such as, for example, cigarettes, either filtered or unfiltered, pipe tobacco and' cigars. Also, the additive, piperitenone, may be added to reconstituted tobacco or tobacco substitutes. It is also evident that piperitenone may be added not only to the tobacco or filter tip section of a tobacco product, but also to the cigarette paper wrapper or seam paste employed for gluing the cigarette paper, or to the packaging material for the tobacco product, or to any portion of a tobacco blend and thereafter incorporated into the blending operation. It is preferred, however, that the additive, piperitenone, be added to the blended and shredded tobacco prior, to its formation into a tobacco product.

It is apparent that a wide variation in. the amount of the additive, piperitenone, employed to treat a smoking tobacco product maybe made without departing from the invention herein as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. a tobacco product having; added thereto a sufficient amount of piperitenone up to about 2.0 percent by weight of the tobacco so that when the product is smoked an enhanced natural tobacco flavor, aroma and smoothing-out effect of the tobacco are obtained.

2. The tobacco product as set forth in claim 1 wherein piperitenone is added in the amount'of from about 0.005 percent to 2.0 percent by weight of the tobacco.

3. The tobacco product as set forth in claim 1 wherein piperitenone is added in the amount offrom about 0.005 percent to 0.05 percent by weight of the tobacco.

4. The tobacco product as set forth in claim 1 wherein piperitenone is added in the amount of from about 0.0l percent to 0.05 percent by weight of the tobacco. 

